Occupational health and safety for informal sector workers: the case of street traders in Nigeria

This study examined two important types of occupational hazards in the street trading activities in Nigeria which are (i) injuries sustained from road traffic accident and (ii) harassment of traders through indiscriminate arrest, seizure and confiscation of merchandise and occasional incarceration of sellers in police cells without trials. The data for the study was generated from a 2011 national survey of 3,873 street traders in Nigeria which was made possible through a research grant provided by the Covenant University’s Centre for Research and Development. In addition to the descriptive statistics used in profiling the street traders, the binary logistic regression approach was also used to estimate the log of odds of experiencing occupational hazards in street trading activities. The study found out that 25% of the traders have suffered injury, while 49.1% have experienced harassment from public authority officials. Given these findings, policy measures that are capable of enhancing the safety of street traders, and stem urban-ward migration have been proposed

The Political Dynamics of Electricity Sector Performance in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire

What factors drive variation in policy choices related to the electricity sector and, ultimately, in sectoral performance over time? This dissertation argues that differences in the form and intensity of competitive political pressures affect the choice and implementation of electricity sector policies and thus sectoral performance. First, I explore bivariate relationships between commonly cited external factors – natural resource endowments, economic shocks, investment climate, droughts, and civil wars – and sectoral performance across Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings confirm associations between these factors and sectoral performance. Yet they indicate considerable unexplained variation in sectoral performance, which requires qualitative analysis. Second, I analyze the politics of electricity sector management in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. In the 1980s and 1990s, these two countries faced similar economic and climatic crises that brought the electricity sector to its knees. Yet when the World Bank and the IMF pushed neoliberal policies as solutions for sectoral challenges, they responded differently. Liberalization and privatization policies moved forward more quickly in Côte d’Ivoire than in Ghana. Moreover, electricity sector performance differed in the two countries during 1990-2019. Electrification rates accelerated in Ghana, but they slowed in Côte d’Ivoire. Côte d’Ivoire improved the reliability of electricity supply more than Ghana. Electricity prices also reflected costs of service in Côte d’Ivoire but not in Ghana. The comparative political analysis traces how different forms and intensity of competitive political pressures, especially coups d’état, electoral threats, civil wars, and risks of civil wars, affect the implementation of electricity sector policies and then sectoral performance in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. I argue that intense political competition encourages Ghanaian politicians to extend electricity access to rural areas to mobilize political support and to set artificially low tariffs to appease urban residents and swing voters. Politically motivated low tariffs, coupled with unpaid subsidies and governments’ failure to pay their own electricity bills, result in inadequate investments in power utilities and, in turn, recurrent power shortages and outages. On the other hand, I argue that existential threats, mainly contestations over Ivorian identity and citizenship and civil war, slowed electrification programs with governments prioritizing regime and national stability. My study shows that (the risks of) civil wars crowd out ordinary concerns like electricity provision. However, when political life returns to normal, high competition drives governments to mollify voters by extending access to electricity and setting below-cost tariffs. Low competition allows governments to make policy changes they view as solutions for sectoral challenges but might defer short-term voter gratification. I demonstrate that low electoral threats encouraged the privatization of the state-owned electricity company in Côte d’Ivoire. In contrast, intense political competition discouraged ruling elites from privatizing the national electricity distributor in Ghana

Quantification of the cross-sectoral impacts of waterweeds and their control in Ghana

The Akosombo Dam on the Volta River in Ghana was built in 1963 to provide cheap energy to fuel industry and to accelerate the economic growth of the country. It provides hydroelectric power, enhanced fishing and water transportation upstream, and improved opportunities for irrigated farming, especially in the lower reaches, and their attendant economic multiplier effects. A few years after the construction of this major dam, a rapid expansion of industrialization took place in Ghana. This brought about an exponential increase in demand for more electrical power. This led to the construction of a smaller dam at Akuse, downstream of the Akosomho Dam in 1981 and the formation of a headpond at Kpong. The impoundment of the river at the two sites (Akosombo and Kpong) caused an alteration in the existing ecological and biophysical processes in the river basin, including a slowing of the flow of the river, upstream and downstream. Changes in the natural processes, such as a reduction in the flow of the river and an increase in nutrient status of the water, resulted in an invasion of aquatic weeds, increasing the density of aquatic snails (intermediate hosts of schistosomiasis), silting and closure of the estuary, as well as other more subtle effects. The invasion of the river's main course and the dams by aquatic plants led to a corresponding reduction of navigable water both upstream and downstream. The aim of this thesis was to quantify the impact and control of waterweeds, especially water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes (Mart) Solms-Laubach (Pontederiaceae), in Ghana. A floral survey on the Kpong Headpond recorded 49 emergent, 12 free floating and I submerged aquatic plant species, many of which were indigenous, but the exotic or introduced water hyacinth was recorded at most of the sampling sites, and was the most abundant and had the biggest impact on the utilization of the water resource. Mats of water hyacinth served as substrates for other, indigenous species to grow out into the main channel of the headpond, including the intake point of the Kpong head works of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and landing sites for boats. These mats resulted in a reduction of the fish (fin and shell) harvest, reducing the annual production to far below demand. Water hyacinth was also shown to have severe health implications. A survey of the Ministry of Health records showed that the prevalence of both urinary and intestinal schistosomiasis had risen significantly over time as the abundance of waterweeds, most notably water hyacinth, increased, and ranged between 70% and 75% but up to 100% in some lakeside communities. Based on the work done by an NGO on board the medical boat ("Onipa Nua "), losses in terms of money due to the effect on health of the aquatic weed infestations on the Volta River in 2006 amounted to US$620,000. Economic losses due to invasive alien aquatic weeds were also calculated on the Oti River Arm of Lake Volta. It was estimated that about US$2.3 million per annum would be lost to the Volta Lake Transport Company and individual boat transport operators if this section of the river were 100% covered by aquatic weeds (water hyacinth and Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitchell (Salviniaceae)). It was also estimated that US$327,038 was spent annually in monitoring and managing the weeds in the Oti River. Control interventions for aquatic weeds have been implemented in river systems in Ghana. The biological control agents Neochetina bruchi Hustache (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) and Neochetina eichhorniae Warner (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) have been used on water hyacinth infestations in the Oti River Arm of Lake Volta, the Tano River and the Lagoon complex in the south-western part of the country. Cyrtobagous salviniae Calder and Sands (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has been used to control salvinia, and Neohydronomous affinis Hustache (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to control water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes Lilmaeus (Araceae) in the Tano River and Lagoon complex. Although these projects have been regarded as successful, they have relied on research from elsewhere in the world and no postrelease quantification has been conducted. In evaluating the impact of the biological control agents Neochetina bruchi and Neochetina eichhorniae weevils on water hyacinth infestations in the Tano River, fresh adult feeding scars were recorded as well as the numbers of adult weevils on each water hyacinth plant sampled at six sites. Despite being released in 1994, weevil numbers and resultant damage to plants in the Tano Lagoon was low in comparison to other regions of the world where these agents have been used. The main reason for this is that this lagoon floods seasonally, washing weevil-infested plants out to sea. Water hyacinth then re-infests the lagoon from seed and the weevil populations are low. To resolve this situation, two courses of action are proposed. The first is to mass rear the weevils along the shore of the lagoon and release them when the first seedlings recruit. The second proposal is that additional agents that have shorter lifecycies and are more mobile than the weevils should be released. To this end, the water hyacinth mirid, Eccritotarsus catarinensis (Carvalho) (Hemiptera: Miridae) was imported from South Africa and released onto the Tano Lagoon in 2009. Retrospective laboratory host specificity trials were conducted on Neachetina eichharniae and Neachetina bruchi weevils 15 years after their release into Ghana to see if any variation in their host ranges had occurred. Considerable damage was inflicted on the E. crassipes leaves by the Neachetina weevils, while little feeding damage was recorded on both Heteranthera callifalia Kunth. (Pontederiaceae) and Eichharnia natans (P.Beauv.) Solms (Pontederiaceae). All the weevils introduced on H callifalia and E. natans died after the first week. This study served to confirm the host specificity and thereby the safety of these agents. Invasive alien aquatic macrophytes have negative impacts on the environment and economy of Ghana. The control of these weeds is essential to socioeconomic development and improved human health standards in riparian communities. Biological control offers a safe and sustainable control option, but requires diligent implementation. However, aquatic weed invasion is more typically a result of the anthropogenically induced eutrophication of water bodies, and this is the main issue that has to be addressed

The potential role of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in the development of sustainable energy policies, plans and programmes for Ghana

Ghana's Vision 2020 and the 1990 energy crises have influenced energy sector policy. plan and programme reforms which in turn have affected development actions. Since these strategic level development decisions have ecological, economic and social ramifications, Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been seen as an effective tool for aligning energy sector policies, plans and programmes with sustainable development principles. In formulating a theoretical perspective for the study, the two overarching theories, which framed the research, were ecological rationality and institutions. Flowing from these theories, the concepts of environmentalism, sustainable development, SEA and energy policies. plans and programmes have been discussed within the context of the West, Africa and Ghana. By the application of factor analysis. multiple regression, path analysis, partial regression, reliability models and tests of proportion (chi-square) in a quantitative analysis, the study tested key hypotheses and computed reliability and validity coefficients where appropriate. The study found that although energy sector SEA in Ghana is essential for promoting sustainable energy policies, plans and programmes, it is not a sufficient condition for the implementation of effective sustainable energy policies, plans and programmes without the complement of other sector SEAs and constantly improving overall legal, social, political, economic and institutional frameworks for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and SEA. The study confirms that context and philosophical convergence provide a common denominator for designing sustainable energy policies, plans and programmes across institutions in Ghana. Furthermore. the study observed that although hierarchically structured institutions such as Ghana' s National Development Planning Commission offers the best opportunity for the integration of SEA into sectoraI policies, plans and programmes, less hierarchical institutions such as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided a plausible and tangible framework for a joint action and implementation on the basis of equal partnership, cooperation and participation. Within the West Africa sub-region, common needs and mutual benefits, for programmes such as the West Africa Gas Pipeline Project, provided a rallying ground for a common environmental. economic and energy policy

The impact of culture and government policies on Ghana's economic development

Ghana had a promising start as one of the most successful countries in Africa when it achieved independence in 1957. However, the economy then suffered from stagnant growth until it embarked on an Economic Reform Program in 1983. After coming to power in 2001, the current government declared Ghana a 'Highly Indebted Poor Country' (HIPC) and developed a Poverty Reduction Strategy aiming at halving extreme poverty by 2010 and achieving middle income status by 2015. In this context, it is the study's main aim to identify key 'actionable factors' for accelerating Ghana's economic development. An extensive review and analysis of relevant literature and socio-economic data regarding culture, government policies and economic development, provides a wider view of the relevant areas and concepts for the development of the conceptual framework of this study. Ghana has attracted the attention of the world's development economists. Little attention, however, has been paid to the impact of national culture on economic development. The literature review in this context indicates a lack of systematic and empirically tested studies. This research employs a pragmatist approach involving quantitative and qualitative research (mixed-methods) in order to identify the dominant cultural values and their role in economic development. The collection of primary data involved surveys and in-depth interviews in three areas chosen to provide clear contrasts of relevant variables. The survey and interview data were analysed using SPSS and N-Vivo packages for their respective statistical and qualitative analyses. The study's findings confirm and extend Hofstede's work on the regional or ethnic level. These have been correlated with available regional statistics for validation and for establishing the link between culture, institutions and economic development. The interview findings corroborate and triangulate the survey and provide insights into the interpretation of findings for culturally sensitive economic policies. The research concludes that economic development cannot be achieved by focusing on economics alone and that socio-cultural factors are important in determining the outcome of development efforts. Furthermore, the research has also shown how the studies in development economics can be adapted by including socio-cultural factors to enhance its usefulness to developing countries

International Academic Symposium of Social Science 2022

This conference proceedings gathers work and research presented at the International Academic Symposium of Social Science 2022 (IASSC2022) held on July 3, 2022, in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. The conference was jointly organized by the Faculty of Information Management of Universiti Teknologi MARA Kelantan Branch, Malaysia; University of Malaya, Malaysia; Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta, Indonesia; Universitas Ngudi Waluyo, Indonesia; Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, Philippines; and UCSI University, Malaysia. Featuring experienced keynote speakers from Malaysia, Australia, and England, this proceeding provides an opportunity for researchers, postgraduate students, and industry practitioners to gain knowledge and understanding of advanced topics concerning digital transformations in the perspective of the social sciences and information systems, focusing on issues, challenges, impacts, and theoretical foundations. This conference proceedings will assist in shaping the future of the academy and industry by compiling state-of-the-art works and future trends in the digital transformation of the social sciences and the field of information systems. It is also considered an interactive platform that enables academicians, practitioners and students from various institutions and industries to collaborate

Comparative study of international marketing strategy of Japanese and Taiwanese CNC machine tool industry in the Asean region

Abstract only in hardbound copy